Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

First, on behalf of the Government, I want to once again express our very strong support for our Defence Forces - the Army, the Naval Service and the Air Corps. The Government is very proud of the role our Defence Forces play, whether it is around the world on missions such as in Mali, which I discussed with President Macron yesterday, or in Lebanon, whether it is in the context of what they did last week in helping the civil power to deal with the effects of Storm Ophelia, or whether it is the part they play in so many different ceremonies, including those relating to the centenary of the 1916 Rising last year. We very much support, value and respect our Defence Forces.

As the Deputy will be aware, a very successful recruitment process is currently under way to bring at least 800 replacements into the Defence Forces. Recruitment was never halted even during the recession, unlike in other areas. Also, the budget for the Defence Forces has been increased for next year, which is hugely significant.

In terms of difficulty in recruiting people with particular skills to the Defence Forces, we accept that this is an issue. It is certainly an issue in the Air Corps because pilots and air traffic controllers can be paid much more to work in the same jobs in the private sector. That is now occurring not only in the Defence Forces but in parts of the public service. It is not universally the case across the public service but it is the same in some parts of the service in the context of certain roles, including some within the Defence Forces. What are we doing about it? We are doing two things. First, public sector pay restoration is under way. This is happening across the public sector. We agreed only a few weeks ago with the trade unions an extension to the Lansdowne Road agreement, which provides for two pay increases next year and provides for a full pay restoration for over 90% of public servants within the next couple of years. This action will very much reverse the pay cuts which were a feature of the Deputy's time in government and that continued into the early years of the previous Government. However, those cuts are being reversed now. In terms of some of the new recruits, pay restoration will be in the region of €5,000 a year, which is significant.

When it comes to particular areas within particular parts of the public service in respect of which we have a difficulty recruiting and retaining people because the private sector pays better, the Cabinet last week decided to refer those issues for a detailed study to the Public Service Pay Commission. Some of the areas involved are in health and others are in the Defence Forces. We have particular difficulties in recruiting and retaining people to certain professions in these areas. We look forward to the commission's report, particularly as it will look at the matter objectively. It will study the reasons for the difficulty in recruitment and retention, where it is and is not a feature within particular branches of the public service, and what might be done to rectify matters. It is not all about pay. As the Deputy will be aware, it can often be about other issues. We very much look forward to receiving that report and being able to act on it.

See this speech in context